Using Rugs in Office Interiors
A collaboration with FLOOR_STORY
Flooring and Interior Design
We consider flooring options early on in any office interior fit out or refurbishment project that we undertake.
Flooring is fundamental in any interior and can make or break the overall design of an office fit out. While in larger spaces the budget will of course often dictate the materials used and sometimes we are working with what has already been installed, there is ALWAYS the option to add rugs!
Dressing a room with rugs
Rugs are like artworks for the floor and are a great way to inject colour, texture and pattern into a workspace. We use them to zone areas in larger open spaces and recommend them for their brilliant sound absorption and ability to soften acoustics. If a client is fearful of too much colour, they can be a gentler way of introducing a focal point to the design of the workspace.
We have been fortunate enough to be asked by our friends at FLOOR_STORY to collaborate on two ranges of rugs. Let us introduce you…
A close up of our ‘Bethnal Green’ rug from our Colour_Stories range at FLOOR_STORY
Drawing inspiration from outside
For the first range ‘Colour_Stories’ we looked at introducing colours from nature and took inspiration from looking out of the window to our immediate surroundings of East London. The Trifle* team loved the idea that a feature rug inspired by nature could bring the outdoors inside, working as a dramatic addition to a core scheme in homes and businesses. The view of the sunset over London from the loft in Emma’s home helped to direct the colours used in the rug ‘Walthamstow’. Other inspiration was drawn from Arnold Circus and Bethnal Green amongst others.
Bespoke rug design leads to a new range
The second collection that Trifle* designed was the result of working as design lead for the award winning tech business MVF Global on their move to Wenlock Works in Shoreditch.
Linking to interior features
We installed a stunning, bespoke terrazzo reception desk at MVF and that material alongside the colours from the office design scheme influenced the new range for FLOOR_STORY. One of our favourites is ‘Susan’, named affectionately after our client on the project. You will find other rugs in this range dedicated to the team who worked on designing the rugs - a moment in time made even more memorable as this was achieved long distance via multiple online chats while deep in Covid19 lockdown.
The huge 7 x 4m bespoke rug that adorns the town hall in MVF Global
Video showing the bespoke rug installation at MVF Global
Size is everything!
It was on the MVF office design project that we installed the biggest ever rug we had specified for an office interior. At 4X7metres, it took four people over an hour to manoeuvre it into the office!
Now that we share a new Shoreditch work home with FLOOR_STORY there are even more opportunities to collaborate on exciting designs for inspirational spaces. We love working with the team as they are so receptive to ideas and work tirelessly to realise our vision on our projects. You are welcome to come and visit us in our new showroom / design studio:
Trifle X FLOOR_STORY, Cairo Studios, 4 Nile Street, London, N1 7RF.
Author: Emma Morley, Founder and Director
Emma founded Trifle* in 2010 after a career in marketing, event design and production. Frustrated by the fact that only advertising agencies had inspiring spaces she had a desire to make good design the norm for all office workers. Emma has worked across well over 150 interior projects during her career at the helm of Trifle*, she remains passionate about making amazing spaces but also making the industry more accessible, more human and more diverse.